The Biker-less Mountain Bike: Stop Motion Video Captures Miniature 3D Printed Bike on a Journey

What do you get when you take a talented 3D modeler, and combine it with someone who has a knack for mountain biking and video production? It is very possible that you will get a stop motion video unlike anything you have ever seen before.

When it comes to 3D printing, it seems as though an increasing number of professional video producers and amateurs have been using the technology in order to create their very own stop motion videos as of late. Because of the way in which 3D printed objects can easily be modified, and then reprinted, the technology seems to be the perfect complement to creating unique, interesting, and entertaining videos such as these.

One former mechanical engineer, named Andrew Karas, decided to create a stop motion video to show off a really cool 3D printed toy.

“Once I discovered 3D printing a few years ago, I loved it because I could make almost anything I liked,” Karas tells 3DPrint.com. “So I bought a printer and have been tinkering away ever since.”

Karas, who recently launched the website Trinpy, used to be an avid mountain biker, and always wanted to design his very own bike. So he sketched out a design for a bike as well as the bike’s suspension, before sending his sketches to a colleague named Alan, who then created a detailed CAD file of the bike using SolidWorks.

“Then once I got the design back, I modified the tolerances and made sure it could all snap fit together and be 3D printable,” Karas tells us. “Then I printed it out and it worked great! I used a Makerbot Replicator 2X 3D printer to print it out and I printed it in ABS. I really like ABS for functional parts because it is so tough. The wheels rotate and the rear suspension works.”

Once the bike was 3D printed, Karas was so pleased with his results that he wanted to show it off. He decided that he would create a stop motion video of the bike riding along a local bike trail that he frequently uses himself in Australia. Karas lives in Adelaide, South Australia which is in the middle/bottom of the country, a region which he refers to as “mountain bikes’ natural habitat.”

So with the help of his brother, who runs a mountain biking website and happens to be a semi-professional bike photographer, Karas went to the track and began taking photos.

“It didn’t work out as well as I had hoped because the grass was a bit long at this time of year and the light was bad, but it seemed ok so we went with it. There are a few bits where I scuffed up the dirt to make the bike look like it was drifting”

Using fishing line that was tied to the bike, Karas was able to create the illusion that it was actually jumping hills and hitting bumps, all the while it was free floating from the line. In all, approximately 400 individual photos were taken at different intervals. Karas then edited them and put them into sequence for the creation of this very unique video.

As you can see below, the video really came out quite well. As for those of you interested in printing out your own version of this mountain bike, the files are available for free download on Trinpy.com.

What do you think about this 3D printed bike, and the video in which Karas created? Discuss in the 3D Printed Mountain Bike Stop Motion Video forum thread on 3DPB.com.